


Ten Steps Ahead

by SilverCoins



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Implied Alluther - Freeform, Implied Fiveya, Multi, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25725349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverCoins/pseuds/SilverCoins
Summary: Luther and Five have a heart to heart moment.Five gets drunks and complains to Luther. Luther is nice a enough to listen.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Luther Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 8
Kudos: 163





	Ten Steps Ahead

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this before the show came out so just imagine their having this conversation at Elliot's place.

“So, we somehow need to refresh Vanya’s memory?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe we could talk about something from our childhood that she could remember. Although I’m afraid that might trigger something-“

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m sorry what did you say?”

“I said it doesn’t matter.”

“Come on Five she’s your sister.”

“I _know_ she’s my sister.”

Luther grimaced as Five took another swing from his whiskey. Luther couldn’t help the pang of guilt seeing Five like this. He looked so young yet so old all at once. The acne on his skin was becoming cystic and his voice was getting deeper while his eyes looked bloodshot like he hasn’t slept in days. He probably hasn’t. Dark circles surround his eyes making his green eyes look more piercing. Sometimes when Luther feels a bit masochistic, he’ll stare into Five’s eyes seeing nothing but dangers of a person who has clearly seen and been through terrible things. Things no one that looks so young should go through.

If they all could argue who had the worst childhood experience, Luther might let Five win in a landslide. He can’t imagine growing up all alone in a desert waste land. He knows he’ll lose his mind.

Which Five certainly has.

Maybe that’s why he’s lenient when it comes to Five. He doesn’t argue with him so much anymore, wanting to be near his brother in any way possible.

At times he’s never sure if he should. Five is an enigma that is impossible to decipher.

However, lucky for him he didn’t have to ask this time. Five having a body of a sixteen-year-old makes him a light weight.

“She’s always ten steps ahead of me.” He muttered, while viciously slamming the bottle of whiskey. Luckily it didn’t break before he picked up a second bottle and continued to chug.

Luther grunted, hoping to stir the conversation away from Five’s continuous drinking habits. “Who is?”

“Vanya,” Five said without hesitation.

This led to Luther feeling a slight of unease of where this conversation might be leading towards.

Five stopped drinking instead looked at his bottle longingly, muttering something before he took a swing of the bottle.

“I’m sorry what was that?”

“I could never get it right, you know?” Five blinked rapidly staring up at Luther, yet Luther wasn’t sure if he was really looking at him. “She’s always somewhere I can’t reach. Literally!” Five continued, “I waited centuries for her. I-I mean I didn’t expect her to wait for me or anything but I thought-“

He takes another aggressive swing of the whiskey bottle but doesn’t continue his train of thought.

“What is it?” Luther asked eagerly,

“I thought I could just come back and she-she just know, you know? Know who I am and what I was like, she always did! But I had to come back looking like this! I had to come back looking like a child! Someone not to take seriously! She doesn’t see a man when she looks at me! She sees a child!”

Luther didn’t know what to say as Five continued to go on his rant. Finally, letting go of the whiskey while enthusiastically telling his woes.

“But I can’t help but think maybe it was my fault! Maybe I’m the doing to my own demise! I’m the one that left her out when she asked me to stay! Not because I don’t trust her or believe in her! It’s because I was trying to protect her! Of course, she ends up being the key to the apocalypse!”

Luther had a feeling he knew where this was going…

“But I can’t blame her! I can’t blame her! Because I’m so devoted to her! More devoted then I thought! So much that it hurts!”

Luther knows how that feels…

“She was right there! Right there! And I ignored it! Thinking I knew best! Yet she was already a couple steps away from destroying the world…the more time she spent with Jenkins…I could have paid attention but I didn’t!” He takes another swing of his whiskey muttering, “I would have killed him, you know? I would have killed him just by him saying he was her boyfriend!”

Luther believes that…

“It’s my fault! If I hadn’t left! If I had stayed! I would have figured out she had powers! I could have ended the apocalypse just like that! She wouldn’t have needed Harold or _Sissy_ , she could have _me_!” Five pauses for the longest time more looking like a 59-year-old staring longingly towards the floor. When he finally looks up, Luther couldn’t help but flinch. He wanted to run his fingers through the young man’s hair as he looked so defeated.

“It’s my fault all over again! I left you all scattered! If I was stronger! If I was smarter! I would have stopped it! I could had stopped Vanya from forgetting _us_ and from being with _her_!”

Luther was put off guard when Five urgently grasped his arm, “I would have stopped Allison from marrying that man. Do you believe me?”

Luther couldn’t stop the flinch this time when it came to the unnerving thoughts that stab him constantly in the gut. Instead he looked at his poor brother who was stuck in a never-ending circle filled with death and destruction.

Luther didn’t answer his question, instead he gently peeled Five’s arm away from his. Still never letting go of his hand.

“She’s _always_ ten steps ahead of me.” Instead of sighing or continuing on with his woes. Luther gripped Five’s hand onto his, giving him a tight smile before letting go.

To his surprise Five return the gesture giving him a firm smile before immediately dropping to a deep frown. “She’s _always_ ten steps ahead of me.”

Somehow Luther’s never felt closer to Five then he did now.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always uncomfortable with my writing. I will write a story every once in awhile and this is a very rushed short story so if I do have any mistakes let me know.   
> This is my very first Umbrella Academy fic. As well as a short story that I thought about because I was worried how they where going to do my characters in the show.   
> And honestly I preferred season 1, wasn't a fan of the new love interests (except Lila) I don't think they really did much to the story.   
> I always felt that Five had deeper feelings for Vanya whether the feelings are mutual or otherwise and Luther can't help but fall in love with Allison.   
> Overall, I hoped you enjoyed.


End file.
